Mongrelman

Mongrelmen are a mixture of the blood of many species: humans, orcs, gnolls, ogres, dwarves, hobgoblins, elves, bugbears, bullywugs, and many others. Their appearance varies greatly, combining the worst features of their parent stocks. They are usually clad in dirty rags; they are ashamed of their appearance and try keep their bodies concealed, especially among strangers. They have no distinct tongue of their own, but speak a debased common, mixed with grunts, whistles, growls, and gestures. Their names often mimic animal noises.

Combat: Mongrelmen have three special abilities that help them to survive: mimicry, pickpocketing, and camouflage.

Mimicry enables them to imitate the sounds made by any monster or creature they have encountered except for special attack forms (groaning spirits' death wail, for instance), which they cannot imitate.

Pickpocketing enables them to acquire items that they could not otherwise obtain (they have a 70% chance of success).

Camouflage enables them to hide themselves and their items with great skill. The base chance of being unnoticed is 80%, and it requires one turn for camouflage to be performed. Each additional turn spent preparing the camouflage increases the chance by 1%, to a maximum of 95% (after 16 turns).

Successfully camouflaged persons or items are not noticed unless they are moved or touched (or move themselves, in the case of creatures). Camouflaged buildings are usually unnoticeable or unrecognizable at ranges greater than 50 feet (this varies with size and type of structure).

Mongrelmen normally fight with clubs and swords, but 5% of the members of any group encountered are armed with blowguns and poison or paralyzing darts.

Habitat/Society: For every 10 mongrelmen encountered, there is at least one with 2 Hit Dice; for every 30, there is one with 3 Hit Dice; and for every 40, there is one with 4 Hit Dice. In a community where they are not held as thralls, there are usually a leader (AC 4, Move 12, HD 5, Dmg 1d12, +1 bonus to attack roll) and five bodyguards (HD 4).

Because of their appearance, mongrelmen are seldom welcome in any lawful or good society, and are usually enslaved or abused by evil or chaotic groups. Thus mongrelmen are found as either slaves or serfs, working long hours for evil humans or humanoids in a dismal community, or as refugees living in abandoned ruins. Enslaved mongrelmen are not willing to rebel, but wait patiently for their masters to be destroyed by outside forces. They prefer to live an orderly day-to-day existence.

A mongrelman prides itself in the ability to survive; they consider the title “The Survivor” to be more esteemed than “The Great”. For them, patience is a greater virtue than being good at the arts of war. A mongrelman performs acts of violence only in self-defense or (in the case of slaves) on the orders of their masters; free mongrelmen do not hesitate to kill anyone they believe threatens their community. They prefer to avoid contact with other creatures except in times of great need, when they try to steal what they require (food, tools, etc.).

Free mongrelmen raise domestic game and grow fruits and vegetables. They have a long tradition of art, music, and literature. Their songs are a bizarre cacophony of animal songs mixed with mournful dirges and wails; a few sages consider them to be beautiful, but most disagree.

Ecology: Mongrelmen are omnivorous, but their teeth are most efficient at eating meat. The life span of a free mongrelman is between 25 and 35 years; the average slave lives only 15 to 20 years. Their infant mortality rate is very high. Their major enemies are tribes of wandering humanoids that hunt them for sport.